(The following article by Julia Malone was circulated by Cox News Service on August 22.)
WASHINGTON — When Hurricane Katrina was bearing down on New Orleans a year ago, Amtrak’s offers to help evacuate citizens went unheeded, as the last passenger train departed the city nearly empty.
Federal officials are trying to make sure that won’t be repeated if there is a new emergency.
Under a $700,000 contract, Amtrak has refurbished 24 mothballed rail cars and brought them to the New Orleans train station, where they are now on standby for the current storm season, said Brian Turmail, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Transportation. The arrangements are part of an evacuation program financed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Turmail said that if a hurricane threatens, FEMA will provide buses to bring evacuees to the train station. The 24 restored cars plus 23 more cars now used for Amtrak’s regular passenger service in the region would be mobilized for the effort, he said. A single train can take as many as 1,600 passengers out of the danger zone.
In addition, the Transportation Department has a contract with Dallas-based Coach America for $33 million to keep 200 buses in the Gulf region “pre-staged” for immediate rescue services. The contract gives the government access to as many as 1,800 more buses if needed. Turmail said the bus costs are greater than the train contract because the buses have been taken out of regular service.
Asked whether residents would be allowed to take their pets – a major issue for many New Orleans residents who refused to leave their homes during Katrina – the Transportation Department spokesman said that decision will be made by local officials and FEMA.